The present invention relates to a dynamic human-machine interface device and method.
Static human-machine interface (HMI) devices and methods are generally used in numerous applications, including automotive applications. These static HMI devices and methods rely on a hard-programmed display, which is directly and inseparably linked to the application programs that operate the display. Such devices and methods, therefore, cannot be used in combination with a client/server architecture. Furthermore, software applications written for operating these devices cannot generally be reused for other devices.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a dynamic HMI device and method in which the application is independent of the display.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dynamic HMI device and method in which the applications may be displayed in accordance with a selective one of a plurality of vehicles.
The above and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a dynamic HMI device and method as described herein. In one embodiment, the dynamic HMI device includes an interface section, which is configured to display an interface of at least one applet configured to control at least one function of a motor vehicle. The dynamic HMI device further includes a memory unit, which includes: a first memory section configured to store data representing a vehicle-specific parameter; a second memory section configured to store, for each of a plurality of vehicles, data representing a respective appearance of the at least one applet; and a third memory section configured to store data representing at least one application, each application corresponding to a respective applet, each application including at least one function. The interface section is configured to display the interface of the at least one applet in accordance with one of the plurality of vehicles corresponding to the vehicle-specific parameter represented by the data stored in the first memory section.
The method according to the present invention includes the steps of: storing data representing at least one vehicle-specific parameter in a first memory section of a memory unit; storing data for each of a plurality of vehicles representing an appearance of at least one applet in a second memory section of the memory unit; storing data representing at least one application in a third memory section of the memory unit, each application corresponding to a respective applet, each application including at least one function; reading the data from the first memory section; reading the data from the second memory section representing the appearance of the at least one applet corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles in accordance with the data read from the first memory section; reading the data from the third memory section corresponding to the at least one applet; and displaying the interface of the at least one applet corresponding to the one of the plurality of vehicles in accordance with the data read from the first, second and third memory sections.